Steering head for motorcycles



June 13, 1950 B. BENSON STEERING HEAD FOR MOTORCYCLES 2 Sheecs-Shet lFiled May 25, 1948 lrlvelyfor Ben Benson June 13, 1950 B. BENSON 72,511,320

' STEERING HEAD Fok MOTORCYCLES Filed May 25, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 O 96' W 14 l =1= i 4 lqv'eq'for Ben Bcnaon Patented June 13, 1950 UNITEDSTATES ATENT OFFICE STEERING HEAD FOR MOTORCYCLES Ben Benson, Winnipeg,Manitoba, Canada Application May 25, 1948, Serial No. 28,982

7 Claims.

The invention relates to a steering head for motor cycles and is to beused in conjunction with a pair of motor cycle forks which are describedin my co-pending patent application Serial No. 659 (series of 1948)filed January 6, 1948, issued as Patent No. 2,475,774 on July 12, 1949.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a steeringhead which can be quickly attached or removed from the motor cycle frameand will rigidly reinforce the forks to keep them aligned under allhazards of motor cycle operation.

A further object of the invention is to design the head in a knock-downconstruction for simplicity of manufacture and convenience of assemblingor dismantling.

A further object of the invention is to construct the head for alignedreception of the forks, to support the front mudguard and for carryingthe various attachments required on the front of the motor cycle.

A further object of the invention is to design the head for use withdifferent types of motor cycle handle bars.

A still further object of the invention is to design the head with stopsfor limiting the turning movement of the front wheel of the motor cycle.

With the above important and other minor objects in view, which willbecome more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consistsessentially in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore particularly described, references being had to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section centrally through my new steering head,showing one of the forks in full outline and the frame of the motorcycle, the mudguard, and part of the front wheel in dotted outline.

Figure 2 is a front face view of my new head with the handle barsattached and showing the upper part of the forks.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken at 33, Figure 1 andshowing the front part of the frame in dotted outline.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of my new head with the upper part of theforks attached thereto.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the central connecting part of a pairof well known motor cycle handle bars.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a special connection to adapt my headfor cushion handle bars.

In the drawings, like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several figures.

The principal parts of my steering head comprises a base casting l, areinforcing plate 2, and a clamping plate 3.

The base casting I, is of a triangular-shape with the front face curved.The extreme outer ends or legs, are rounded and provided with holes Itherethrough to receive the vertical tubings 4 of the forks described inmy co-pending application above mentioned, In making this connection tothe forks the legs of the base casting project through suitably providedapertures in the dust casings of said forks. The legs of the basecasting are slotted to the holes, as shown at 5 so that bolts 6 can beconnected across the legs to clamp same to the tubings. The rear centralpart of the casting is cut away in a circular lower shelf and providedwith an upstanding vertical shaft 7. This shaft is suitably made afixture on the casting and forms the fork stem for rotation in the motorcycle frame, which is indicated in dotted outline at 8. This fork stemis adapted to receive upper and lower ball bearings, one of which isindicated at 9, and these bearings make the necessary smooth connectionwith the frame so that the head can be freely turned thereon. The screwadjustment for regulating the clearance on the bearings is indicated atIii and screws on to the upper end of the fork stem.

On the base casting and at either side of the fork stem, a pair oftriangular-shaped lugs ii are cast as part of the base casting and theselugs project rearwardly and are adapted to contact the frame 8 when thefork stem is turned, to limit the turning movement of the head. The rearcentral part of the base casting is also provided with a downwardlyextending plate l2. This plate is removably secured to the under side ofthe base casting and the lower end is; bent rearwardly and provided witha central hole I3 for a purpose later described.

The reinforcing plate 2 is crosswise curved to fit the curved front ofthe base casting to which it is secured by bolts I4. The lower end ofthis reinforcing plate projects below the base casting and is welded toa further plate l5, the rear end of which passes under the plate l2 andhas a hole therethrough which registers with the hole l3. These holesare utilized to bolt and support the mudguard, indicated. at l3. Furtherbolts pass through the front end of the plate IE to support the'frontpart of the mudguard. The front end of the plate I5 is turned upwardlyand provided with a pair of holes IS. The upper end of the reinforcingplate 2 is bent rearwardly, as at H, while the front face is providedwith a bracket [8 having a downward ly turned lip. This lip is providedwith holes H5. The holes It and I9 are for the purpose of securing thehorn thereto. The lugs l9 secure the lower part of the headlightbracket, while suitable provision can be made on the reinforcing place 2to carry spotlights, etcetera, if desired.

The clamping plate 3 is shaped similar to the base casting I by having acurving front face and side legs 2E3, but the rear portion thereof hasthe central part cut away in a semi-circle at 3 for the fork stem toproject therethrough. On either side of the fork stem, a pair of roundedhorns project rearwardly and are each provided with upstanding studs 2!for a purpose later described. The outer ends of the legs 21 arerounded. and provided with tapered holes 23' to receive the uppertapered ends of the tubings which are clamped to the legs 28 by circularnuts 2 The front central part of the clamp ing plate 3 is secured to thereinforcing plate 52 by bolts which screw into the bent-back portionl'i.

the above arrangement, it will be seen that the base casting l, thereinforcing plate 2 and the clamping plate 3 form what might bedescribed as an H-shaped truss for the forks, so they are held in rigidalignment to stand the severe conditions and shocks to which they willbe subjected. If desired, the forks can be attached to the head beforethe head is placed on the motor cycle frame. In this way the head andthe forks may be connected or fen-loved as unit.

In connecting the head to the motor cycle frame the lower ball bearingis first slid down the fork stem. The fork stem is then passed upthrough the front steering knuckle of motor cycle frame until the ballbearing is received in position against the frame ball race. It will benoticed that the steering knuckle of the frame, indicated in dottedoutline, is freely received by the cut away shelf portion of the basecasting while the upper end of the knuckle is received within thesemi-circular opening at the back of the clamping plate 3. The upperball bearing and the race are then passed over the fork stem, the nutIii screwed into place and as. justed. At this time, the upper threadsof the fork stem will be projecting some distance above the nut iii.

A well known handle bar connection is shown in Figure 5. It will benoticed that this connection is provided with a central hole 24 and apair of further holes 25 on either side. These handle bars are receivedby the rear part of the clamping plate 3, the holes 25 neatly receivingthe studs 2! of the clamping plate while the central hole 24 of thehandle bars receives the upper end of the fork stem 1. The small hole 25receives the upper part of the headlight bracket, previously mentioned.A hexagon nut 26 then screws on to the upper end of the fork stern andsecurely holds the handle bars to the studs 2!. By this operation, thehandle bar connection forms a bridge 24 from the clamping plate 3 to thefork stem and also completes the rigidity of the head. Further, due tothis type of construction, by merely removing the nut 26, handle barconnection, and the adjusting nut ill, the fork stem, including theforks, can be quickly re- Cal moved from the frame for repairs orreplacement, without the use of special tools and, if necessary, by themotor cycle rider himself. It can be replaced just as easily.

It will be noted that the type of handle bars, shown in Figure 5, form arigid connection to the fork stem. Another well known type of handlebaris shown at 2? and 28 in Figure 6. The central part of the handle barsEl are provided with forward and downwardly extending cranks 28 whichterminate in hollow bases interiorly provided with rubber (not shown).This rubber is suitably locked to a central shaft (not shown) so that itpermits a limited movement of the handle bars which I have termedCushion handle bars. My steering head can be standardized so that it isapplicable for attachment to either of these types of handle bars and tovarious types of motor cycles. The central part of the connection shownin Figure 6 is exactly the same as that shown in Figure 5 but instead ofthe handle bars coming from the connection, a circular boss 29 is builtup at each end of the connection and a threaded stud 30 projectscentrally from this boss. By this arrangement, the handle bars 2'! and22, including the rubber can be connected to the studs 3c in the samemanner as they now connect to the central shaft previously mentioned.The central connection can be received on the studs 2! of my clampingplate in the same manner as the connection shown in Figure 5. Further,by providing this new connection, any: motor cycle could be equippedwith cushion handle bars, similar to Figure 6.

At the present time, the steering arrangement on most motor cycles issuch, that the fastenings for the steering is independent of the handlebars and the handle bars are merely an attachment. By this arrangement,due to the semicircular opening in the clamping plate 3 and by using thehandle bar connection as the final lock, removal or ire-connection ofthe head to the frame is extremely simple. Added to this, a strongH-shaped truss is provided from the fork stem to my new forks so thathigh speeds can be attained over extremely rough terrain withcomparative comfort and without possibility of forks being strained outof alignment to interfere with their proper operation.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A steering head for motor cycles, comprising: a pair of spaced platesconnected by a reinforcing member, to form an H-shaped frame; one ofsaid plates centrally provided with a cutout; said plate provided with astud on either side of said cut-out; a fork stem secured to the other ofsaid plates and projecting through said cut-out, in said first-mentionedplate; a bridging member releasably connecting said fork stem to saidstuds; and openings in the ends of said plates to receive the forks ofsaid motor cycle.

2. A steering head for motor cycles, comprising: a pair of individualplates; a member releasably secured to said plates and spacing samethereapart; a central opening in one of said plates; a pair ofprojecting studs mounted on said latter plate, one on either side ofsaid opening; a fork stem mounted on the other of said plates andprojecting through the opening in said first-mentioned plate; handlebars receivable on said studs and the free end of said fork stem, toreleasably connect said fork stem to said first mentioned plate; andopenings in the ends of said plates to receive the forks of said motorcycle.

3. A steering head for motor cycles, comprising: a pair of plates; areinforcing member releasably secured to said plates and spacing samethereapart; said reinforcing member projecting past one of said platesand provided with a bracket, for supporting a mudguard; the plate,remote from said bracket, provided with a central opening; said platecarrying a pair of studs, one on either side of said opening; the plate,adjacent said bracket, supporting a fork stem which projects throughsaid opening in the other of said plates; means for releasablyconnecting said fork stem to said studs; and openings in the ends ofsaid plates to receive the forks of said motor cycle.

4. In combination with a motor cycle frame; a steering head therefor,comprising: a pair of spaced plates connected by a reinforcing member;one of said plates having a central cut-out;

the other of said plates supporting a fork stem with the free endthereof projecting through said cut-out; said fork stem receivablethrough the front knuckle of said motor cycle frame, for pivotingmovement therein, and with the end thereof extending past said knuckle;means for releasably connectin the free end of said fork stem to saidfirst-mentioned plate; means on said latter-mentioned plate for contactwith said motor cycle frame to limit said turning movement; and means onthe outer ends of said plates for receiving and securing a pair of motorcycle front wheel forks thereto.

5. A steering head for a motor cycle frame, comprising: a relativelytriangular-shaped casting having a fork stem projecting centrallytherefrom and a pair of stop members projecting therefrom rearwardly,one at either side of said fork stem; a relatively triangular-shapedclamping plate, having a central rear cut-out therein and a pair ofupstanding studs thereon, one on either side of said cut-out; areinforcing plate centrally and releasably connecting said casting andsaid clamping plate in spaced relationship, with said fork stemprojecting through and past said cut-out; said reinforcing plateextending past said casting to present a bracket, for supporting amudguard; said fork stem rotatably receivable in the steering knuckle ofsaid motor cycle frame and projecting therepast; means receivable onsaid studs and said fork stem for releasably connecting said fork stemto said clamping Plate;

said stop members contactable with said frame, for limiting the turningmovement of said fork stem; and means on the ends of said casting andsaid clamping member for receiving and releasably securing a pair ofwheel forks thereto.

6. In combination with a motor cycle frame; a steering head therefor,comprising: a pair of spaced plates connected by a reinforcing member;one of said plate having a central cut-out; the other of said platessupporting a fork stem with the free end thereof projecting through saidcut-out; said fork stem receivable through the front knuckle of saidmotor cycle frame, for pivoting movement thereon, and with the endthereof extending past said knuckle; means for releasably connecting thefree end of said fork stem to said first mentioned plate; and means onthe outer ends of said plates for receiving a pair of motor cycle frontwheel forks thereto.

'7. In combination with a motor cycle frame; a steering head therefor,comprising: a pair of spaced plates connected by a reinforcing member;one of said plates having a central cut-out; the other of said platessupporting a fork stem with the free end thereof projecting through saidcut-out; said fork stern receivable through the front knuckle of saidmotor cycle frame for pivoting movement therein and with the end thereofextending past said knuckle; a pair of projecting studs mounted on saidfirst mentioned plate, one on either side of said cut-out; handle barsreceivable on said studs and the free end of said fork stem, toreleasably connect said fork stem to said first mentioned plate; andmeans on the outer ends of said plates for receiving and securing a pairof motor cycle front wheel forks thereto.

BEN BENSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis :patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,834,308 Harley Dec. 1, 1931FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,834 Great Britain of 1897 21,436Great Britain of 1910

